Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Two pastor's wives were sitting together, mending their husbands' trousers.

One said, "Our church is in a terrible mess, and the devil is fighting us hard. We can't get anything done because of the squabbling, gossip and negativity.

The other said, "The Lord has really been blessing us. Week after week, we sense the loving presence of the Holy Spirit, and people are being helped spiritually. I can't wait to see what God is going to do next!"

One wife was patching the rear end of the trousers, the other one was patching the knees.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

The Bishop of Durham, Dr N. T. Wright, has announced that he will be retiring from the See of Durham on August 31. Doesn't look like he will be rocking on the front porch, however, or catching many fish.

Dr Wright, who will be 62 this autumn, is returning to the academic world, in which he spent the first twenty years of his career, and will take up a new appointment as Research Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

Announcing his move, Bishop Tom said, 'This has been the hardest decision of my life. It has been an indescribable privilege to be Bishop of the ancient Diocese of Durham, to work with a superb team of colleagues, to take part in the work of God's kingdom here in the north-east, and to represent the region and its churches in the House of Lords and in General Synod. I have loved the people, the place, the heritage and the work. But my continuing vocation to be a writer, teacher and broadcaster, for the benefit (I hope) of the wider world and church, has been increasingly difficult to combine with the complex demands and duties of a diocesan bishop. I am very sad about this, but the choice has become increasingly clear.'

When I first saw Dr. Raymond Hundley's new book, Will the World End in 2012, I raised a skeptical eyebrow and thought, "Here's another quirky opportunist trying to cash in on evangelical hysteria."

However, upon actually reading the book, I discovered that this book is not so much about "creating hysteria" as answering it.

In a logical and systematic manner, Hundley analyzes the ten top reasons why some folks are saying that the apocalypse will occur in 2012, (including Mayan calendar, supervolcano, Planet X, solar storms. biblical prophecy) and then reveals the conclusions from his research on each perspective.

For the most part, Hundley's conclusions about a cataclysmic 2012 sound somewhat like Mark Twain's response to the rumor that he had died, "Reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated."

Nevertheless, Hundley gives each perspective a fair and balanced hearing before drawing his conclusions.

At the end, the author throws in a zinger. What if the would end in 2012? Or, for that matter, if you died in 2012? or 2011? Would you be ready?

Purchase here -- or you can wait and buy it for a nickel at a garage sale in 2013.

(Disclosure: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson publishers via Booksneeze. for this blog review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own, in compliance with FTC 16 CFR part 255.)

Last week, my son, Wes turned 16. What a milestone! Another driver will soon be unleashed on northern Wisconsin’s highways. The last time, as we returned from practice driving, Wes said, “Dad, you’re doing much better. You didn’t scream once!”

My son’s 16th has put me in the pondering mood. No job in the entire world is more important that the molding of young lives. Years fly swiftly. They are little for such a short while, then they grow up and fly from the nest.

I have a special word of encouragement for the younger moms and dads reading this column: please take the time to treasure your children.

The following appeared in a church bulletin many years ago. The author is unknown.

If I Had My Child to Raise Again

If I had my child to raise all over again,I'd finger paint more,And point the finger less.I would do less correcting,And more connecting.I'd take my eye off the watch,And watch with my eyes.I would care to know less andKnow to care more.I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.I'd stop playing serious,And seriously play.I would run through more fields andGaze at more stars.I'd do more hugging and less tugging.I'd build self-esteem first,And the house later.I would be firm less often,And affirm much more.I'd teach less about the love of power,And more about the power of love.

“Train up a child in the way he should go,” the proverb instructs us, “and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

With this in mind, Josh Billings noted, “To train up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself once in a while.”

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Matt Lydic got into his vehicle to begin his daily commute to work. Suddenly he saw flashing lights in his rear view mirror and heard the sounds of a siren. When the black, unmarked Ford Crown Victoria did not pass him, Lydic realized he was the target.

When he pulled over, the Ford drove alongside him. The driver told Lydic to slow down and then drove away. Lydic became suspicious and copied the license plate as the driver accelerated down the highway.

When it came back registered to a private citizen, officers went to the home of 62-year-old David Word and arrested him. Mr. Word, a civilian impersonating a police officer, had made the mistake of stopping a real police officer dressed as a civilian. Lydic was on his way to the Avondale, Arizona Police Department to begin his shift.

This spring, a jury deliberated four hours before finding Mr. Word guilty of impersonating a peace officer. The court scheduled sentencing for next month.

I don’t know what his punishment will be. Jail time? A fine? Community service? Whatever it is, it has to be significant enough that people realize the courts will prosecute crimes like this to the extent of the law.

One spokesperson in Maricopa County said an individual who impersonates an officer creates a trust issue between police and the public. If citizens see flashing lights and hear a siren, they need to know the person driving the vehicle is a legitimate law enforcement officer.

No one likes to be fooled. Yet those of us who are trying to take God seriously and live by His Word must realize that we too can fall victim to an impersonator. The apostle Paul warned his readers that “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14 NIV).

So don’t be surprised if you hear people talk as if what you thought was wrong is actually right and what you thought was right is no longer “cool.” Temptation does not always come at us head-on; sometimes it sneaks into our peripheral vision when we least expect it. So be on your guard. Don’t let temptation catch you by surprise.

By the way, Mr. Word, the police impersonator, was surely surprised when police arrested him at his home in the community of Surprise, Arizona, a suburb of Phoenix. True story.

Troubles are simply a part of living. It's a package deal. You have to accept the bad along with the good. The only way to be trouble free is to be dead!

Some folks think they deserve to be excused from problems. Whenever a difficulty arises, they whine and complain about how unfair life is to them. They don't realize that life isn't fair to anybody -- and thus, become swamped in the mire of self pity.

Instead of griping about a hard situation, wouldn't it be better to face it boldly -- committed to see things through? You can cry until the cows come home, and that won't fix the situation one bit. It takes courage to buckle down and face the truth.

I do not know why heavy hardships are a part of life's package. I don't have a pat answer for the difficult perplexities.

Yet, I do know that the struggle helps us grow, if we maintain the right attitude.

1. Troubles teach us wisdom.There is no such thing as a wise person who has not gone through the dark valley. Your problems are your teachers. John Maxwell says, "If you fall down, you might as well pick something up while you're down there!"

2. Troubles keep us humble.Just when you think you're the big cheese -- WHAMMO -- a hefty difficulty plops into your lap. It's hard to be puffed up when you're carrying a load of trouble. In bad times, we realize we can't control everything, and we have to trust God more.

3. Troubles bring us patience.James 1:2-3 states, "Is your life filled with difficulties and troubles? Then, be happy! It is only then that your patience will increase. So, let it grow, and don't try to squirm out of your problems."

4. Troubles turn us into helpers.We become more compassionate through suffering, Instead of nursing our sorrows, it is far better to encourage others in the same direction. There is nothing more comforting than a genuine friend who understands.

We can face our problems with greater courage when we realize that they are only opportunities in disguise.

Pastor Mark: As you can imagine, all the talk around the water coolers and in the grocery store lines here is about Sunday's earthquake. In the middle of Trader Joe's in my town a woman cried out gleefully,

"Oh, my! When the house started shaking I thought to myself. . .

'Hallelujah! Christ is coming back on Easter Sunday!!!---and then I found myself so disappointed when it stopped!'"

You don't hear Christ's name mentioned too often in southern California so this comment just made my day!!!

Thursday, April 01, 2010

A great post from my good friend and ministry partner, Heath Davis, at his blog, A Northwoods Life:

If we desire to make wide sweeping change in the world, I think we must begin in the small and local. In today's global society we have become so enamored with the elephant-size agendas and global-change that we foolishly dismiss change at the local level as unimportant and insignificant. Nothing could be further from the truth!

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